Twenty Years Later, Evacuation Pals Reunite In Yuba City

Josh Loweblein and David Glines spent part of the 1997 flood together as small children, and find themselves together again at Stephens Farmhouse in Yuba City during the evacuation for the Oroville Dam scare.

Bob Moffitt / Capital Public Radio

Tough times, like an evacuation caused by a possible dam spillway failure, often bring people together. In one case, they bring people together again.

For David Glines, this week's evacuation, brought on by the Oroville Dam scare, brought back memories of 1997 when he and Josh Loweblein were small children.

"We both lived in Yuba City and [were] family friends and ended up evacuating out to Hallwood together, where we have family out there," Glines says.

The flood of 1997 caused widespread evacuations in Yuba and Sutter counties, destroyed 300 homes and caused significant damage to 400 others in Linda and Olivehurst.

Loweblein says they were too young to understand the situation.

"Then, it was just, we were having fun playing out in the rain and storms and having fun," Loweblein says.

So, it was a quite a coincidence that on Tuesday, the two would run into each other at Stephens Farmhouse in Yuba City.

"I live in Sacramento and he was evacuated down to Elk Grove," Glines says.

Loweblein says the two saw each other "just by chance."

"I just passed him and saw him on the road and I saw him pull over. So, I stopped," says Glines.

After a bear hug, Loweblein bought his old friend a Valentine's Day cookie and thought about how times have changed.

"It's strange, because the last time we evacuated, we were children with no worries," Loweblein says. "And now I evacuated with a wife and two kids and a dog and all of my things and completely different experience."

Bob reports on all things northern California and Nevada. His coverage of police technology, local athletes, and the environment has won a regional Associated Press and several Edward R. Murrow awards. Read Full Bio